Sam on Fruit

It’s a shame that we call something a lemon when it doesn’t
work, like the car we bought from the guy who now doesn’t recognize
us or the kitchen appliance we got from that Sunday morning infomercial.
It’s a shame because the lemon is one of the world’s great flavor
enhancers.

Think of what the cocktail would be without lemons - Bloody Marys, Singapore
Slings, Whiskey Sours, Mint Julips or Martinis with a twist. Or seafood,
from grilled swordfish to oysters and clams on the half shell. Or desserts
from sorbets - where lemons perk up the flavor of just about every other
fruit - to lemon meringue pie to fruit pies and tarts. Or grilled and sautéed
chicken dishes. And don’t forget marinades, dressings and salads.

Lemons make great preservatives too. Their acid slows the oxidation on
fresh cut fruits and vegetables.

With the increased influence of Asian and Hispanic cooking in our culture,
limes are also becoming a valuable seasoning tool in our kitchen arsenal.
We use truckloads in guacamole and margaritas alone. So if someone sells
you a lemon, go home and make some lemonade.

HISTORY

Ever wonder why the British got the nickname “limeys?” In the
18th century, British seamen were treated successfully for scurvy with citrus
fruits. Subsequently the British navy ordered ships out to sea for long periods
of time to carry lime juice, though it was not determined until 1932 that
scurvy was caused by vitamin C deficiency. (At the time, it was believed
that citrus fruits themselves were the hedge against the disease.)

Lemons and citron are thought to have originated on the Indian subcontinent.
They spread to Persia about 300 BC where Alexander the Great’s armies
first discovered them. European Crusaders brought back lemons and limes to
Italy and France in the 12th century. And Arabs introduced lemons and citron
into Spain and North Africa about the same time. The first limes came from
Southeast Asia.

Citrus plants came to the New World on the second voyage of Columbus in
1493. Lemons, limes and citron were among the first plants started at St.
Augustine, the first settlement in North America, some 72 years later.

Commercial production in Florida began to flourish in the early 19th century.
The first commercial California groves were planted in the 1840s, and demand
for all citrus fruits soared during the California Gold Rush, when miners
paid exorbitant prices for scarce fresh fruit to avoid getting scurvy. By
1962 the United States was growing 45 percent of the world’s lemons.

WHERE GROWN

The top five lemon/lime producing countries are the United States, Mexico,
Italy, Spain and India.

Lemons are more partial to the subtropics, in part because they are quite
susceptible to disease if grown in wet climates. California, with 30% of
the world market, produces almost all the lemons consumed domestically. Arizona
is a distant second.

Lemon trees produce year round with blossoms, buds and mature fruit appearing
all at once on the tree. If not picked when mature, the fruit may grow to
12-17” in diameter and the peel colors can sometimes get quite freakish
blends of green, yellow and brown. Lemons are usually hand picked when they
are about 2 1/2 inches in diameter and still relatively green. About half
the domestic crop is shipped for use as fresh lemons, while the rest is made
into a variety of products.

Limes flourish best in the tropics. Mexico is the world’s leader,
Florida the principal provider (85%) for domestic markets. California produces
a very small lime crop.

VARIETIES

Though there are two types of lemons - acidic and sweet - only the acidic
types are grown commercially. The sweet lemon or limetta is a hybrid of the
Mexican lime, sweet lemon and citron. It is grown on small scale in India
and around the Mediterranean as well as by home gardeners in the United States.
Lance Walheim, co-author with Richard Ray of “Citrus, How to Select,
Grown and Enjoy” (HP Books, 1980) points out that sweet is a misnomer. “They’re
actually flat and insipid because they have no acidity,” he says.

There are two main acidic lemons. The Eureka is distinguished by a short
neck at the stem end, while the Lisbon has no distinct neck. Its blossom
end tapers to a pointed nipple. The Eureka has a pitted skin and contains
few seeds. The Lisbon has a smoother skin and is usually seedless. Both have
a medium thick peel and are abundantly juicy. The Lisbon type lemon is grown
in some parts of Florida. The most common strain of lime, called Tahitian,
comes in two similar varieties - Persian and Bearss. The Persian lime is
an egg-sized fruit cultivated in Florida, and the Bearss is a small, seedless
lime, usually California grown. Both are greenish yellow when mature but
are usually sold at the green stage for better flavor.

Key limes are a smaller, rounder variety with exceptionally high acid content
grown only in southern Florida and used for the making of Key lime pies.
A small number are sold commercially. Generally, their juice is bottled and
found in gourmet shops or sold by mail.

The citron resembles a lemon but has coarser, thicker skin and is larger
than the lemon. You won’t find it fresh in the United States very often,
but the candied peel is commonly used in baking things such as fruitcake.

Hybridizers are experimenting with a sweet lime that’s a cross between
a kumquat and a lime. It is sometimes found in Hispanic markets and often
used in the preparation of such Hispanic recipes as Menudo.

SEASONS

Lemons and limes are harvested year round. Slight seasonal peaks for lemons
occur from April through July, for limes from late spring through summer.

SELECTION, HANDLING & STORAGE

Fruits should be firm, glossy and bright in color. Lemons should be bright
yellow, and limes should be dark green. Greenish lemons and yellowish limes
are signs of immaturity.

Larger lemons tend to have thicker skin and therefore less flesh and juice.
Fruit that is heavy-in-the-hand with fine grained skin is the juiciest. Avoid
fruit that is hard or spongy and soft. Lemons will keep on the counter at
room temperature for a maximum of two weeks, depending on the temperature
and humidity. Limes will need to be refrigerated. Both will keep in the refrigerator
in plastic up to six weeks.

If you have extras, squeeze, freeze the juice in ice trays and transfer
the cubes to plastic bags for long term storage. It’s a much better
alternative than bottled lemon juice.

NUTRITION

Though scurvy isn’t the problem it once was with the British navy,
lemons and limes are still a good source of vitamin C. One medium lemon (58
grams) contains about 35% of the RDA for vitamin C. It also contains 20 calories,
6 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of dietary fiber and 2% of the RDA for calcium.
Like the lemon, one medium lime (67 grams) has 20 calories, contains 35 %
of the RDA for vitamin C and 2% of the RDA for calcium. It also contains
7 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of dietary fiber and 2% of the RDA for
iron.

Because of its vitamin C, lemon juice is an antioxidant, the multitalented
disease fighter. But some studies indicate that lemon peel may also act as
an antioxidant. If you ate enough lemon pulp, the pectin therein might also
be beneficial in lowering blood cholesterol.

YIELD

One medium lemon will produce about 3 tablespoons of juice and 2 to 3 teaspoons
of grated zest. A pound of lemons (5 medium) will yield about 1 cup of juice.
One medium lime will produce about 1 1/2 tablespoons of juice and about 1
1/2 teaspoons of grated zest. A pound of limes (6 to 8) will yield about
1/2 to 2/3 cup juice.

TIPS

If your cooking ventures result in ugly stains on fingers and nails, just
whip out a lemon and rub. Also, it is effective in removing fish and onion
odors from hands and work surfaces. And a squeezed lemon thrown down the
garbage disposal will give it a fresh smell.

PREPARATION

The zest is the outermost skin of the lemon or lime, yellow and green respectively.
It is a valuable culinary resource for a number of dishes. Most often the
zest is grated. (In fact, some mistakenly believe that zest means the grated
rind.) This can be done with the smallest holes of a 4-sided grater. Either
fruit grates more easily once frozen.

The zest can also be cut into strips and used to flavor poaching liquid
for fruit. Or it can be cut into julienne strips (match stick size) or minced.
To remove the zest for any of these purposes, use a vegetable peeler, Try
to minimize getting too much of the bitter white pith (the inner skin). If
you use a lot of julienne strips of citrus, a hand zester tool is available
at good cookware stores.

Because lemons and other citrus products are usually sprayed with chemicals,
it’s important to wash them and dry them well before using the peel.

There are numerous ways to juice lemons and limes short of an electrical
appliance. The most effective and least expensive way is to use various forms
of citrus juice reamers. These are most often ridged cones atop dishes that
catch juice, or which allow juice to filter into a container below. They
can be made of plastic, porcelain or earthenware. There is also a wooden,
hand-held reamer that upscale cookware stores like Williams-Sonoma carry.
In a pinch, squeezing the juice through an upturned hand, with fingers split
just enough to let juice through but catch pits, will do.

If you don’t need all the juice from a lemon, there are metal and
plastic extractors that look something like duck callers. One end is inserted
into the fruit, the fruit is squeezed to produce just enough juice, then
the fruit is put into the refrigerator for later use. A similar but more
homespun method is to pierce the fruit with a toothpick, squeeze out the
juice and reinsert the toothpick.

To get maximum juice - up to 30 percent or more - from lemons or limes,
make sure the fruit is at room temperature. If either has been refrigerated
and you’re in a hurry, pop it into the microwave for 15 to 30 seconds,
depending on size, or soak it in hot water for a few minutes. Then, before
juicing, roll it around on a counter top with the heel of your hand until
it softens.

1) Mix flour with seasonings. Put butter in a large non-stick skillet over
medium heat.

2) Dredge catfish fillets in seasoned flour and shake off excess. When
fat in the pan is hot, add fillets and raise heat to medium-high. Cook fish
3 minutes on one side. Turn gently with a wide spatula and cook about 3 minutes
on the other side or until fillets spring back when pressed with a finger.

3) Remove fillets to a warm platter. Add lemon juice, wine and capers.
Raise heat to medium-high and scrape up any bits on the bottom of the pan
with a wooden spoon. Reduce just until sauce thickens.

4) Pour sauce and capers over fish fillets. Sprinkle with parsley and serve
with lemon slices as garnish. Serves 2.

Sam’s Cooking Tip: Because of their acidity, lemons and lemon juice
should not come in contact with cookware made with metals that would adversely
react to it such as cast iron or aluminum. Instead, use “non-reactive” metals
such as stainless steel, glass, ceramic, porcelain and nonstick surfaces.

1) Remove the thin white strip of muscle or “hinge” from scallops
and marinate in lime juice about 2 hours.

2) Remove with a slotted spoon to a bowl and add 1 tablespoon of the lime
juice and all the remaining ingredients except lettuce. Taste and adjust
seasoning. Divide among two small plates lined with lettuce leaves. Garnish
with tomato wedges. Serves 2 as a first course.

1) Sprinkle gelatin over 1/4 cup of cold water. Set aside. Put egg yolks
and grated lemon rind in the top of a double boiler and stir. Gradually mix
in lemon juice and half the sugar.

2) Add just enough water to the bottom half of the double boiler so that
the bottom of the top half of the double boiler will just touch it when inserted.
Bring the water to a simmer. Put the top section over the simmering water,
stirring constantly with a rubber spatula until the mixture thickens enough
to coat the back of a spoon, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat, add
gelatin and stir to dissolve. Let cool, stirring occasionally.

3) When lemon mixture is cool, beat egg whites and salt until whites start
to thicken. Gradually add the remaining sugar and beat until peaks form.
Do not overbeat or the whites will become dry.

4)Fold lemon mixture into the meringue and pour into a 1-quart soufflé dish.
Cover with plastic wrap, then foil. Freeze several hours or more. Serves
4.